Do you "exercise" your ratchets?
- Thread starter CoThG
- Start date
dr_clyde
Well-known member
No…
Some of my ratchets have not been used in years and would work just fine if I grabbed it tomorrow and used it.
Some of my ratchets have not been used in years and would work just fine if I grabbed it tomorrow and used it.
no. but I have been given /acquired ratchets that needed to be cleaned & lubed so I call that a win
whateg01
Well-known member
Do you count the grabbing the socket and flipping the handle around a couple times before use? Like hitting the trigger on an impact twice before use?
Exactly, not to exercise, but because you just do that.
Can’t believe this is even a question here. Of course we exercise the ratchets, after each daily polish you give it exactly 10 rotations each direction and end with the pawl at a 90 degree to the handle. This should go without saying but Bent handle ratchets get the pawl moved to a 45 degree position afterward.
whateg01
Well-known member
Does that apply to flex head? And does the flex head need to be in a specific position? Oh man! I hope I've not been doing it wrong all these years!
KnurledNut
Well-known member
scooterbum46
Well-known member
I used to, but quit after the episode where, in spinning my 3/4" drive Snap On ratchet (holding on to an attached socket) I got that baby swingin' good, got it too close to my noggin and went down for the count. Goose egg the size of a .... goose egg.
RTM
Well-known member
No, I only exercise my demons, by having them pull me on a scooter.
I have a friend who does not take care of his tools and has a few ratchets that haven't been used in years. I was over at his place recently and he had the rare need to use of of those ratchets and it was nearly seized due to corrosion from being stored in a barn and the lube evaporating away over time. I cleaned and lubed his ratchet and got it back to a usable condition. I told him if he'd regularly function check it by spinning along with replacing dried out lube, this wouldn't happen.
I park my ratchets with the ball detent at the 12 o'clock position.
lovetap
Well-known member
I have literally never thought about it. I've never had a ratchet not work from sitting in the toolbox. I wouldn't think that grease would evaporate? Pliers sure, they need a workout after some idle time.
kmacht
Well-known member
Don’t forget to rotate your screwdrivers 90 degrees each day. You don’t want one side to become more sun faded than the other and mess up its even grip.
The toolbox shades mine when stored.
whateg01
Well-known member
You never know when hair will suddenly build up on the tool cart casters!
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Kurt4440
Well-known member
If you leave them turned on, they self lubricate and are ready to go when you need them.
whateg01
Well-known member
We're still talking about ratchets, right?
mike93lx
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Unfortunately, too many guys think self lubrication actually happens
Astro_Pneumatic_Tools
Well-known member
This is some Garage Journal type question if I've ever seen one
littlebean
Well-known member
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- Mar 7, 2018
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I've got images of a drill sergeant screaming at ratchets to 'get those pawls moving' 
Why do you say that?
shoggoth80
Well-known member
Just use them. They'll get exposed to oils and grease 
Seriously though? No. They'll get oiled or greased every now and again. Non sealed heads will get sprayed with some oil whenever I feel like it.
The only time I've had a ratchet lock up from old grease... Was on acquisition. A good cleaning, and fresh lube fixed that.
Seriously though? No. They'll get oiled or greased every now and again. Non sealed heads will get sprayed with some oil whenever I feel like it.
The only time I've had a ratchet lock up from old grease... Was on acquisition. A good cleaning, and fresh lube fixed that.
neophyte
Well-known member
Isn’t this more of an issue with heat and cold cycles in Ohio, were the temperature gets cold, chilling the tolls, then heats up, causing condensation to form on the tools due to the negative thermal mass of the formerly cold tools, creating a layer of water.
Over time, the repeats of this then cause the tools yo rust, particularly in enclosed areas were water vapor might accumulate?
Add in hot days which will slowly cause lubricants to evaporate, and you wind up with a recipe for rust.
Storing tools in an enclosed container with a desiccant and a VCI corrosion inhibitor would probably be more important.
Some lubricants also attract moisture.
3baygarage
Well-known member
Proto before and after GLP-1
You are correct. He states that some days when he opens the bay door to his garage, everything is wet with condensation.
Firebird1975
Well-known member
Nope....i keep them lightly oiled with CLP (Break Free)
Crazyjake8493
Well-known member
Mine get "exercised" every time I tighten or loosen something.
How often is that?
Bigblue&Goldie
Well-known member
My 1/4" ratchets are starting to look like 3/8", so it's probably time to put them on an exercise routine......
Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
As an avid collector of antique and vintage ratchets, I found your question less amusing than most, but your friend neglecting his tools in a barn exposed to the weather are extraordinary conditions compared to most guys and their user toolboxes and tools. I can attest that well over half the antique and vintage ratchets I have found in the wild have been stuck absolutely solid with dried gunk, grease and rust, and taking ratchets apart to clean and re-lube or oil just to get them turning again is a common, frequent hobby activity, but it usually takes several decades of sitting unused in an abandoned toolbox in a garage or basement for that to happen. I don't even spin the museum quality oldies unless I have to get one out for a photo opp or to support a Vintage Tools Discussion forum topic.
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fitter30
Well-known member
Normally with 12 oz curls. First cw then ccw then sip.
Doesn’t matter. They still will go flat on one side and be out of balance when you go to use them.
Screwdriver lives matter too.
RTM
Well-known member
Geez, just came across a Craftsman VM series ratchet, that apparently was not exercising enough. Looking at it at the ES, build up of crud around the plates, probably from powdered jelly donuts every day. It did not want to move either direction. Even with a socket on it, nothing. As I was angling for a bulk price, I just showed grama a pic of my pile, got a $20 price, so I didn't quibble about it.
Got a bit more forceful with it at home, told it I was going to change it's lacksadasical ways, or it was going in the GS pile. Put a bigger socket on it, and threaten to give it a ***** twister, and still nothing. Gave it the TT, upped the force more than normal, and got a click out of it. Some signs of compliance, so I kept twisting. I think the silly thing was enjoying it. A few more twists, each direction, and I think it is salvageable.
It will get a real clean & lube before summer.
See it in the Garage Sale thread later this afternoon.
Got a bit more forceful with it at home, told it I was going to change it's lacksadasical ways, or it was going in the GS pile. Put a bigger socket on it, and threaten to give it a ***** twister, and still nothing. Gave it the TT, upped the force more than normal, and got a click out of it. Some signs of compliance, so I kept twisting. I think the silly thing was enjoying it. A few more twists, each direction, and I think it is salvageable.
It will get a real clean & lube before summer.
See it in the Garage Sale thread later this afternoon.
what does Astro recommend for an exercise schedule for your ratcheting wrenches?